I clean a house once a week with a friend.  We both have financiall hardship  or maybe financial uncertainty with our DH's line of work (but unfortunately she is in a worse situation).  As I was finishing the bathroom and the bottle of lysol was empty I made a comment "I'm so cheap that  I could add water to this bottle and get more product".  (We were done so we threw it away, there was nothing else to clean).  She said "Well, with your way of thinking you will never have riches,  that's what I've read". 

What she meant was that "if you do those things you will always be enjoying "cheap" since you won't look for "best".  

I do enjoy using all the fancy products the home owner has.  At my house anything other than pinesol, baking soda and vinegar was purchased by DH. I behaved the same way when I have to buy products.  I don't buy cheaply made things but I try to find the least expensive in some things.

It really made me think about it and I wonder if it is partially true. I thought about this as I entered the shower and saw 3 bottles of shampoo that I had gathered from the kids bathrooms so I can add water and rinse the last ounce.  I couldn't tell you how many bottles of new and partially used shampoo the owner of the house had.

I have enjoyed many more luxuries than my friend who made the comment and maybe it is because of all my penny pinching ways.

What are your thoughts?

your just being practical and frugal, being like that you'll get out of your financial woes quicker than your colleague!

Carmina:

She said "Well, with your way of thinking you will never have riches,  that's what I've read". 

Carmina:

What she meant was that "if you do those things you will always be enjoying "cheap" since you won't look for "best".  

What she's referring to is called "Prosperity & Abundance or could be called Prosperity Preaching". Its been around for ages and comes in various formats. The concept is that if you can "envision your hopes and dreams for a better life, you can make it a reality". While there is truth to this concept, many people tend to associate prosperity, abundance and riches with material possessions. People have been told that "God wants you to prosper" but again they think its like winning the lottery. So they think having riches means they can buy whatever they want and be wasteful or not have to use up the last drop in the bottle.

Carmina:

What are your thoughts?

I took classes called Prosperity and Abundance and they did work for me. The classes taught us how to put "things" (material possessions) in their proper perspective. That having your basic needs met is true abundance. That abundance does not always come in the form of money but rather in opportunities and other gifts. It taught me to be "selective" rather than like a little kid in a candy store. That "giving" is a part of "getting back in return", and feeling worthy of accepting gifts is what God or the Universe wants for us. Excessive worry, guilt, greed or ulterior motives can interfere with the Prosperity and Abundance process. The class taught us to be good stewards of what we've been given and not to be wasteful. So even though I can well afford to buy plenty of supplies to clean my place, I do what you do and that is make my supplies stretch as far as possible. And then if there is something I want to splurge on, I have the prosperity to enjoy my abundance. My frugal practices go hand in hand with my prosperity and abundance practices.

Carmina:

We both have financiall hardship  or maybe financial uncertainty with our DH's line of work (but unfortunately she is in a worse situation).

She has a confused concepts frugality and prosperity. Being Frugal means understanding value and making the most of what you have and not wasting it. Maybe she was talking out loud to herself and trying to project her insecurities on to you. Very interesting topic by the way.

Sounds like your doing great.

I agree with CheapChic .. you doing great .

Sounds like you are on the right track.  I have found that in life, having things doesn't make me happy.  I enjoy being frugal,   I read an article once about how thrifty most millionaires were.  That was way back when being a millionaire was being rich. Anyway, the idea was  that people who have money have it because they don't spend it wildly.  Goals and ideals are going to make you alot happier than all the money in the world.

Hasn't she ever heard of "waste not, want not"?  Or maybe she has a family member with stock in Procter and Gamble?

You spend your money on what you enjoy.  She's probably in that "worse situation" because of her attitude.  Don't catch attitude from an empty Lysol bottle.

littlepitcher:

Hasn't she ever heard of "waste not, want not"? 

littlepitcher:

She's probably in that "worse situation" because of her attitude.  Don't catch attitude from an empty Lysol bottle.

Exactly.

 I'm frugal because it enables me to buy the things I want to buy, rather than the things other people feel I ought to buy. For example, my car is old, but reliable. It's not flash, and hasn't had a wash in a few years, but it's only broken down twice in the 7 years I've had it, and both times it's been an easy fix (the first time a $5 part went which I changed myself, and the second time a wire came loose - I just pushed it back on!). The money I've saved on this car has enabled me to buy a camera, which ha given me true abundance.

I get so much more enjoyment out of life because of this camera. Yeah, I'm focused on frugality, but I'm not focused on how little I have, because I don't have "little". I have an awful lot. I look out of the window and see the trees changing colour, and I can go out there and take photographs of it. That means an awful lot more to methan some expensive car with expensive fuel costs andexpensive repair bills.

I guess it comes down to, are you happy? If you are, keep doing what you're doing. Don't base your decisions on what someone else read in a book. Perhaps she hasn't read that "expensive" doesn't always equal "best"?

I look at it this way:  The less I spend on things that aren't very fun such as cleaning products and HBA stuff the better because then I have more to spend on things that are fun/bring me more happiness such as books and vacation.